If youve been wondering why Kim Kardashian has been looking extra voluptuous lately, it could be because she may be pregnant!!

The folks at mediatakeout.com are reporting that the reality star is with child.

The insider, who asked to remain nameless told the website:

Kim has been seeing Kanye [West] off and on for years now. But this summer, they [hooked up] five or six times. The insider continued, Kanye told her that he didnt want anything serious, but Kim really likes him.

And now, according to the insider, she suspects that Kim Kardashian is PREGNANT. The insider explains, Kim is being very secretive about everything. She calls [Kanye] almost non-stop and wants to know what she should do. The insider reportedly OVERHEARD the conversation between Kanye and Kim, with her OWN EARS.

 

Elizabeth Edwards, a best-selling author and the driving force behind her husband John Edwards' political career before it was destroyed by his infidelity, died on Tuesday at age 61.

Edwards died of cancer on Tuesday morning at her home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina surrounded by her family, they said in a statement.

"Today we have lost the comfort of Elizabeth's presence but she remains the heart of this family. We love her and will never know anyone more inspiring or full of life," they said.

Edwards was first diagnosed with breast cancer and treated in 2004. In 2007, the cancer returned and spread to other parts of her body.

She wrote two best-selling books, "Resilience" and "Saving Graces," about her long battle with cancer and the scandal surrounding her husband, a wealthy trial lawyer who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina and twice ran for president.

Her husband was a rising star in the U.S. Democratic Party who was selected as Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's running mate when Kerry lost narrowly to Republican incumbent George W. Bush in 2004.

"Elizabeth Edwards was an incredibly loving, giving, and devoted mother," Kerry said in a statement.

John Edwards' personal and political fortunes changed after the National Enquirer, a tabloid newspaper, began reporting on his affair with a campaign aide named Rielle Hunter as he sought the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. John Edwards initially dismissed the reports as "tabloid trash."

Elizabeth Edwards and her husband announced in January 2010 that they had separated after 32 years of marriage. The split came less than a week after John Edwards admitted that he had fathered a baby with Hunter. The little girl was 2 years old when he acknowledged he was her father.

Elizabeth Edwards' marriage disintegrated even as she battled terminal cancer. On Dec. 6, 2010, she said in a Facebook posting: "I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces, my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope."

"These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that," she added.

Elizabeth and John Edwards endured a family tragedy before he entered politics.

The couple's eldest child Wade was killed in 1996 at age 16 in a traffic accident in North Carolina when a vehicle he was driving to the family's beach home crashed. The couple had three other children.

Mavado ah plan fi keep a show pon December 26th fi draw some people away from Sting this year. The man well serious eh? From him issue the ultimatum to Laing say him waan help wid him permit and him show get mash down by the Babylon, him nah do Sting and him well serious. Him no need dem, him have the Gully Squad, Flexx, Chase Cross and him waan
keep a show inna the country area fi him fans dem. After that, dem a shot go Guyana fi close off the year. But how Laing ah go tek that?

They say that it was shot a couple of years ago and stars a younger Nicki Minaj or someone who looks a lot like her. They describe this younger Nicki Minaj 'before she got hot' and says this younger version is doing all kinds of freaky stuff.

The tape is described as 'very explicit and graphic' but we have to take their word for it because we have not seen the video and they have.

Where Can You See the Nicki Minaj Sextape?

Well the people who have the ownership of the video right now are shopping it around and apparently want to sell all the dirty contents for $100,000. According to mto.com, these people have one person interested already.

Dancehall prodigy Vybz Kartel has finally break his silence on the Aidonia beef.

Not in the form of a counteraction or diss track, but instead using his twitter page as a tool to send a message.

Obviously referring to the constant diss tracks being release by Donia, Kartel apparently have no intentions to clash his nemesis.

@DjBizzyt a lyrical tiff is different from pop-dung artiste a call up man name fi get a hype #justsaying

Mi nuh clash artiste in need of a career boost cause me never call nuh man name fi buss. A DUSS! and you can quote me on that. (Vybz Kartel Twitter)

http://tuffchin.com/2010/12/vybz-kartel-states-aidonia-as-pop-dung-artiste/

Copy N Paste

The alcoholic beverages are once again stepping up to the plate and using dancehall raggae as the platform for their brand. We saw the telecumminication company jossling to use the top acts in the business to promote their product, now Red Stripe Bold is being bold ..stepping up to the plate to make an impact for themselves.
On December 12 top dancehall and reggae acts will be a part of a show in New Kingston dubbed Red Stripe Bold Concert, launching their "Standout Campaign". What will make this show different is that it contains artiste such as I-Octane, Taurus Riley, Lady Saw, Vybz Kartel and Cham, who are described outstanding acts that have made a big impact on the local music industry. This will be ths first in a series of shows and will feature fashion talent and entertainment icons.
It is being reported that Vybz Kartel will make an effort to do something different for the show.. he indicated that he ".. plan to give the fans a solid 45-minute set, "No 'pull up dat, after a few seconds in each song, but rather a complete two-to-three-minute journey into each lyric which is seldom seen in dancehall performances. Just clean, tolerant lyrics, so fans can come out and bring the students to the see the teacher. Oh!"

Copy N Paste

Miss Jamaica 2009 Carolyn Yapp poses with Red Bull cans

Im not sure why red bull choose Jamaica to build its latest multimillion dollar music studio. They have already built studios in the US, New Zealand and in the UK (developed nations ..yah!!)... One can only speculate that they choose Jamaica because Jamaican artiste have been calling up red bull's name in riddim and in song over the past couple of years. The Seanizzle, Fambo and Beenie Man production seem to have been the trigger that resulted in Red Bull deciding to build a $25 Million dollar studion in Kingston, Jamaica... the strangest thing about this studio is that, it will be free and available to selected local musicians through invitations as well as being available to international acts that might be in the island and require a modern studio to use.
The studio is expected to be ready by February of 2011and will be an environmentally friendly one... the long and short of it is that it will serve as a back drop to Red Bull general marketing and promotions.
The studio could pose a problem to current industry players though, since the service is being offered for free, although its on an invitation basis... it could be a cause for concern for those who garner revenue through such means.

ZJ Liquid.. one of the most popular and one of the most suspended radio disc jock kept his long awaited birthday show "Wet" over the weekend. The show was finally kept at the Caymanas Gulf Club after it faced several cancellation due to act of God. This time the show went on-- however the crowd turn out was meagre. This can be clearly tagged to the fact that the first two scheduled events did not get under way due to the inclement weather conditions and patrons were quite weary that the gods are not on Liquid's side and hence decided not to show up. The celebrities did however turned up and the sound selection team filled that void that was created by the absentee patrons.
I just found it strange that the name of the show is WET put on by LIQUID was WASHED out twice by RAIN....  Liquid you need fi bill a tune off a that!!... Liquid is on a high with his current tune "wifey walk out" on seanizzle's riddim

Roman Abramovich is spending more than $400 million (£250 million) on his own personal island, "in the heart of St Petersburg with plans to build a contemporary art museum," the UK Telegraph reports.

Roman Abramovich Buys Island to Store Art: Pays $400 Million.

Luxist reveals that "Abramovich, one of the richest men in the world, has quietly established himself as the world's leading collector of modern and contemporary art thanks to the influence of his beautiful young girlfriend Dasha Zhukov."


Cristina Ruiz, the Art Newspaper's editor at large, said:

"Before Dasha, Abramovich's name never came up in the art world. I don't think he bought art at all. But as soon as she came on the scene he started buying art. We have no idea exactly what he has bought and how much he has spent but I would expect him to have bought jackson Pollocks and Mark Rothkos as well as Freuds and Bacons."

The plans will include space for galleries and a museum, including a possible permanent home for Abramovich's own art collection, which has been acquired with Miss Zhukova's guiding hand.

A source close to Abramovich told the Sunday Telegraph: "There is a plan for traditional art spaces and cultural spaces within the complex. Daria will be involved."

Abramovich announced his arrival on the art scene in 2008 after spending £60 million in just 24 hours at two auctions in New York. He first spent £17 million on a painting by Lucien Freud - the most ever spent on a work by a living artist - and then followed it up the next night with the £43 million purchase of Francis Bacon's Triptych, 1976 - a record for the artist and a record for any contemporary art work.

It is not clear what other major works Abramovich, who is deeply private, has spent his money on but ARTnews, the world's oldest fine arts magazine, named the oligarch in the summer as one of the world's top 10 art collectors based on intelligence gathered from auction houses, art dealers, curators and other experts.

Abramovich owes his interest in contemporary art to Miss Zhukova, his girlfriend for the past three years and the mother of the youngest of his six children. The oligarch divorced his second wife Irina in 2007 - paying her a settlement in the region of £150 million. Miss Zhukova - known as Dasha to friends - has since become a permanent fixture in his life. Miss Zhukova, who at 29 is 15 years' Abramovich's junior, runs her own gallery - the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture (GCCC)- in Moscow. Set up in a former bus garage, it is said to have been paid for by Abramovich.

The island is the latest of Abramovich's lavish spending sprees. In September last year he brought a £54 million 70-acre estate on St Barts in the most expensive deal ever for a Caribbean island. He also spent a reported £300million on the world's biggest private yacht, Eclipse. The yacht is so large, it too has its own art gallery.

Not only is deejay Vybz Kartel adamant that he will not be attending Sting this year, but he is now saying that without the 'Gully' and 'Gaza' presence this year's event will not be as successful as in previous years.

"The Gaza and the Gully control dancehall music, and in our absence I can guarantee this Sting will be the floppiest Sting ever," the deejay said in an interview with THE STAR yesterday

His comments came after Isaiah Laing, the promoter of the annual event, said in an interview published in THE STAR yesterday that both artistes (Mavado and Vybz Kartel) won't be clashing, and by themselves they would not pull a thousand persons.

 

two biggest names

Kartel, after seeing Laing's comment, expressed a desire to respond. "Laing says that Vybz Kartel and Mavado, who are the two biggest names in dancehall music right now, can't pull a thousand people. So it would be fair to say then that all the artistes on Sting this year combined will not be pulling more than about 50 people," he said.

Both acts had also previously announced that they would not be performing at the event. Kartel confirmed last week that he will not be at the Boxing Day, December 26 event, slated for Jamworld in Portmore, St Catherine, despite being advertised on the poster. In Tuesday's STAR, it was also confirmed that singjay Mavado will not be on the show.

However, Laing in the article said that any void left by Mavado would be filled by other artistes in the line-up. "We have the likes of Sizzla right in the slot there. We don't think it will make a big difference," he said.

The promoter went on to explain in yesterday's article that there would be other crowd pullers like the Beenie Man and Bounty Killer collaboration, I-Octane and Khago.

Sting promoter Isaiah Laing

"The entire 13 warriors are gonna sell the show. No one person can't do it. This is Sting. This show is going to be huge 'cause we have so much to sell the show. Every angle you look at, it's going to be real excitement," he said, noting that Lady Saw would also be making an appearance after a seven-year absence. Stressing performances this year, Laing said there would also be a bonus cash award for the artiste who gives the best performance.

But while Laing is seeking to encourage patrons to attend Sting, Kartel is trying to pull them to another event. The deejay, in closing, said, "I'd just like to tell my Gaza fans to come party with the Teacha in The Building nightclub (in New Kingston) this Boxing Day."

In just a matter of weeks The New Quad nightclub's Original Dancehall Night dubbed Guinness Stulla Wednesday's became the hottest series on the party scene in Jamaica.

"We named, conceptualised, planned, executed and promoted the series into the established brand that it is," says IB Konteh, PR and marketing officer for The New Quad nightclub. The Wednesday night event saw an average of 800 patrons per night and is the hot spot for some of the movers and shakers in the Jamaican entertainment industry.

"Jah Cure, Sizzla, Bounty Killer, Aidonia, Damian and Stephen Marley, Chino, Ding Dong, Elephant Man, Spragga Benz are some of the entertainers that frequent our Wednesday night series," said Konteh.

Having parted ways with the name Stulla Wednesday's and its promotional team headed by dancehall artiste Mavado, who endorsed and hosted the event each week, The New Quad is now ready to continue its original dancehall night under the new name 'Shell Down Wednesdays'.

 

High-energy vibes

"As we gear up for another hectic festive season, fans will be treated to the high-energy vibes and entertainment they love each week," says Dane Chin, general manager for The New Quad. "We have added a stellar line-up of some of the best selectors in the dancehall circuit and each week a number of celebrities have confirmed their endorsement of Shell Down Wednesdays," he added.

Additionally, each edition of Shell Down Wednesdays will feature a creative and catchy theme that will give true and original dancehall fans what the club scene has been lacking. There will be giveaways each night and also Guinness bucket deals all night.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti A French disease expert says there is strong evidence linking United Nations peacekeepers to a cholera outbreak in Haiti that has killed more than 2,000 people.

Renaud Piarroux says in a report that the most likely explanation for the outbreak is that Haiti's Artibonite river was contaminated by a base of UN troops from Nepal.

The scientist conducted his research on behalf of the French and Haitian governments. The Associated Press obtained the report today.

Cholera had not been detected in Haiti until late October. Nearly 100,000 people have been infected so far. The UN has denied that its peacekeepers were to blame for the outbreak.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/How-about--UN-troops-caused-Haiti-cholera-#ixzz17T5kMpwR

Pregnant women who regularly use mobile phones could increase the risk of their children behaving badly, claims a startling survey.

If their offspring then start using the devices at an early age, the chance of problems climbs to 50 per cent, according to researchers.

They found those exposed to mobile phones in the womb had a 30 per cent rise in behavioural difficulties at the age of seven.

But those exposed before birth and in their childhood, were 50 per cent more likely to have behavioural problems than those exposed to neither.

Children who used mobiles, but were not exposed in the womb, were 20 per cent more likely to display abnormal behaviour.

The findings by researchers in California are likely to reinforce warnings that children should not use mobile phones.

However, some British scientists were sceptical, saying the findings may be due to lifestyle factors rather than mobiles.

In the study of 29,000 youngsters, mothers provided details of their lifestyle, diet and environment during and after pregnancy.

Information on their childrens health and mobile phone use was also recorded. Around three per cent of children scored abnormal on behavioural issues, with another three per cent borderline.

The study found that more than ten per cent of children exposed to mobile phones in the womb had mothers who spoke on them at least four times a day.

Nearly half of the mothers had their phones turned on at all times while around a third of children were using a mobile phone by the age of seven.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1336265/Using-mobile-phone-pregnant-lead-behavioural-problems-children.html#ixzz17TF7kBHA

Toni Braxton came out a few days ago to announce that she has LUPUS. We hope she's healthy . . .

And the TRICK of the day for today is . . . MEGA-MILLIONAIRE Russell Simmons. Valued at more than $100 million, Russell has more than enough pocket change to pay a few of Kelly's bills.

Contrary to reports that he will be performing in Zambia and Malawi on December 17 and 18 respectively, word from the camp of International dancehall/reggae artiste, Sean Paul, is that he will NOT be appearing in these countries as advertised, and that the promoters of these shows have been advertising them without a booking confirmation. Sean Paul is reportedly back in the studio at this time, working hard on his highly anticipated new album.

Léo Taxil (whose original name was Marie Joseph Gabriel Antoine Jogand-Pagès) was an atheist who had been accused earlier of libel(slander) on account of a book he had written called The Secret Loves of Pius IX. On April 20, 1884, Pope Leo XIII published an encyclical, Humanum Genus, that said that the human race was "separated into two diverse and opposite parts, of which the one steadfastly contends for truth and virtue, the other of those things which are contrary to virtue and to truth. The one is the kingdom of God on earth, namely, the true Church of Jesus Christ ... The other is the kingdom of Satan," which were "led on or assisted" by Freemasonry.

After this encyclical, Taxil underwent a public, feigned conversion to Roman Catholicism, and announced his intention of repairing the damage he had done to the true faith. His real intent, however, was to publicly slander the Freemasons (who had rejected him for membership), and simultaneously embar**** the Roman Catholic Church.
READ FULL THING HERE: http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Taxil_hoax_-_Taxil_and_Freemasonry/id/2081132

THE CONFESSION

Now, I address myself to the Catholics. I tell them: When you were told that Doctor Bataille, pretending to be devoted to the Catholic cause, spent eleven years of his life exploring the darkest dens of secret societies, Lodges and Back-Lodges,¹. and even luciferian Triangles, you fully approved him, you found his behavior admirable. He was overwhelmed with congratulations. Laudatory articles were written even in the publications of the party which, today, can't hurl enough thunderbolts to reduce Miss Diana Vaughan to ashes, here calling her a myth, there an adventuress and a fortune-teller.

Should the cheers which greeted Doctor Bataille be now reconsidered, they existed nonetheless and were thunderous. Illustrious theologians, eloquent preachers, eminent prelates congratulated him, each louder than the other. And I do not say they were wrong. I merely and simply determine a fact. And the purpose of this determination is to allow me to say forthrightly: "Do not get angry, my reverend fathers, but do laugh heartily when you are told now that what did happen is the very opposite of what you expected. There wasn't the shadow of a dedicated Catholic exploring the High-Masonry of Palladism under a false nose. But, on the contrary, there has been a freethinker who, for his own edification, not because of any hostility, came into your camp and strolled, not during eleven years but during twelve, and... it is your servant." (Various reactions: murmuring, laughter). There wasn't the least masonic plot in this story, which I shall prove to you shortly. "We must leave to Homer, singing the exploits of Ulysses, the adventure of the legendary Trojan Horse; that formidable horse has nothing to do in this case. Todays tale is much less intricate.
READ THE FULL CONFESSION HERE ://freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/taxil_confessed.html

taxil may be dead, but his hoax lives on

You would think that after the legendary Leo Taxil hoax which managed to endure and become the backbone of most modern conspiracy theories, bloggers wouldnt either fall for the same exact thing, or try to recreate it. Then again, in the world of conspiracies, every hoax or tall tale is just a suppressed truth just struggling to get out and even if a particular line of evidence has been debunked by just about everyone, including their friends pet goldfish, its still fair game with enough layers of supposed cover-ups layered on top. And its in this spirit that a French blog presents the confessions of an anonymous Illuminati defector which follow so closely in Taxils footsteps, you can practically hear this detailed and graphic post stepping on the dead writers heelsREAD THE FULL THIN HERE: http://worldofweirdthings.com/2010/02/13/taxil-may-be-dead-but-his-hoax-lives-on/

-- Edited by dark_law on Tuesday 7th of December 2010 01:42:40 PM

Mavado

After not being on the poster or mentioned at the launch, it was confirmed yesterday that dancehall artiste Mavado will not be making an appearance at this year's Sting.

Speaking with THE STAR, Mavado's manager Julian Jones-Griffith said, "He's definitely not doing it."

Sting's promoter Isaiah Laing also confirmed this.

"He won't be on the show. I spoke to his manager and he said he would get back to me and he didn't, so we went ahead with the show," he said.

WON'T BE CLASHING

Laing explained that any void left by Mavado will be filled by other artistes on the line-up.

"We have the likes of Sizzla right in the slot there. We don't think it will make a big difference. They (Mavado and Vybz Kartel) won't be clashing and them by themselves won't pull a thousand people," Laing told THE STAR.

The promoter said there would be other crowd pullers like the Beenie Man and Bounty Killer collaboration, Sizzla, I-Octane and Khago.

"The entire 13 warriors are gonna sell the show. No one person can't do it. This is Sting. This show is going to be huge 'cause we have so much to sell the show. Every angle you look at, it's going to be real excitement," he said, noting that Lady Saw would also be making an appearance after a seven-year absence.

Stressing performances this year, Laing said there would also be a bonus cash award for the artiste who gives the best performance.

"There's going to be a Sting award for the best performer, and it will be in the form of cash for both male and female," Laing said.

THE STREETS of the capital city Port-of-Spain were flooded with colour and revelry yesterday as the launch of Carnival 2011 was declared by Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism, Winston Gypsy Peters.

Scores of spectators, including foreigners were seen gathered at Woodford Square taking photographs and video coverage of the street procession, which commenced shortly before 3 pm from Woodford Square, Port-of Spain. 

The procession consisted of traditional mas characters including the Blue Devils, Midnight Robbers, Jab Jab, Sailors and Clowns. There were also Moko Jumbies and Pierrot Grenades. 

The street parade, accompanied by huge music trucks and rhythm sections moved along Frederick Street and headed North to the Queens Park Savannah. 

Conventional Mas and Steelbands also left simultaneously from Victoria Square and proceeded east along Park Street, joining the traditional mas characters at the corner of Frederick and Park Streets. 

At the Savannah, several carnival revellers from various Carnival committees including Couva, South Port-of-Spain, St James, Paramin, Gasparillo, New Carapichaima, Diego Martin, Belmont, San Fernando, Petit Valley and South Oropouche joined in on the street parade. 

Spectators and carnival lovers were also entertained by Indian cross-over band Dil-E-Nadan Orchestra, Super Blue, Black Stalin, Shadow, JW & Blaze, Roy Cape All Stars and the Pamberi Steel Orchestra.

 

The budding romance between Halle Berrys ex- Gabriel Aubry and Kim Kardashian has reportedly horrified Halle Berry. Halle is said to be fuming over the possibility that Nahla, her daughter with Gabriel, could appear on an upcoming episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Halle would not be happy to see Kim with Nahla, an insider told Star Magazine. She wants her daughter out of the spotlight not with a reality star thats been in a porno.

Halles ex, Gabriel however is said to be ignoring Halles wishes.


He announced that he intends to spend Christmas with the Kardashians and he would be taking Nahla over to meet the whole family, the source revealed.

 

J-FLAG (Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays) activist was found stabbed to death in Kingston, Jamaica. It is believed that the 26 year old was the victim of a hate crime. In Jamaica, there persists a society that tolerates violent and socially acceptable homophobia. The cries are loud and clear: Gays (or men) and lesbians are not welcome in Jamaican culture.In addition, Section 79 of the Offences Against the Person Act, which discriminates against gays by criminalising any form of intimacy between two men, whether done in private or public.

The advocacy group has demanded a full investigation of the death of the man, and his name has been withheld until his relatives can be notified.

.

Gully Squad recording artiste Face said that she will not be clashing anyone at this year's Sting, even though she is the pre-eminent female clash artiste in the Dancehall Game since she demolished Queen Paula and Lisa Hype earlier this year.

 

"Ah just performance mi ah gi dem at Sting, no clash. Mi hear say the one Reggae Queen ah send word say she waan clash me , but mi nah clash no pissing tail gyal who caan wash her draws properly...she no ready yet, ah performance mi a gi dem," she told one876entertainment.com. "Mi kill two big fish ah Settlement, mi nah go back de so right now, so who want to go on Sting and call me name, dem only making me more famous, especially dem little girl who no live no way, dem no own no asset, just some duppy belly mascot, ah dat mi say, Gully fi life!"

Speculations are that Laing was to help facilitate the permit for Mavado's show but this did not materialise and thus could be a part of the motives behind what is happening. The Real McKoy Birthday Bash was cancelled due to the permit being revoked by the relevant authorities. Mavado's team had exerted expenses for the promotion of the show and had to apologise to his sponsors and his fans.
This show to be kept on December 26th could be considered as the make show for the Birthday Bash event

Gyptian is out of the Hospital... and perhaps ready to go once again. The singer who has been rocking the charts with the hit track "Hold Yuh".. broke down over his marathon tour of Europe and Africa. The show he had scheduled for Barbados over the weekend had to be cancelled because he was suffering from dehydration and dizziness and according to reports should be ready for business next week.
Gyptian who had copped the MOBO and Soul Train 2010 awards in the best reggae song category was not nominated for any Grammy.. leaving industry pundits to wonder...
The 2011 Reggae Grammy nominees... described as Category 73 ie. Best Reggae Album
Vocal or Instrumental includes the usual such as Lee "Scratch" Perry ...The nominees were annouced last week are as follows...

1. BEFORE THE DAWN
Buju Banton
[Gargamel Music, Inc.]

2. ISAACS MEETS ISAAC
Gregory Isaacs & King Isaac
[King Isaac Music]

3. REVELATION
Lee "Scratch" Perry
[Megawave Records]

4. MADE IN JAMAICA
Bob Sinclair And Sly & Robbie
[Yellow Productions/Universal Music France]

5. ONE POP REGGAE +
Sly & Robbie And The Family Taxi
[Phase One Communications/Taxi Records]

6. LEGACY AN ACOUSTIC TRIBUTE TO PETER TOSH
Andrew Tosh
[Box10/Tuff Gong]

 

2011 will be a good year for the popular energy drink Red Bull as construction on its modern $25 million recording studio and loft in Kingston should be complete.

The Haining Road-based studio should open in February and will be a very modern and environmentally friendly facility, according to Wisynco, local distributors for Red Bull, which will operate the studio on behalf of the label.

Wisynco is lamenting the fact that something like this has never been done in Jamaica especially providing such an opportunity for young artistes.

The studio will not rent studio time but offer it to artiste on an invitation basis for free.

Additionally, it will also set up collaborations with international artistes in some cases.

Red Bull already operates an international label and the studio in Jamaica follows sister studios in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The local studio will boost a modern design that utilises natural lighting and offers a full range recording capabilities with state of the art equipment.

According to hiphopwired.com, a Pennsylvania teen has been charged with murder after confessing to the police that he killed his mother and dumped her body behind their south Philadelphia home.Kendall Anderson, 16, has been charged as an adult in the death of 37-year-old Rashida Anderson who police say he bludgeoned to death with a hammer and piece of wooden furniture.

Police say that Anderson murdered his mother and disposed of the body in an alley behind the house they shared by dumping a dresser on top of the corpse.He then called the police to report her missing.After other family members suspected foul play and notified police, authorities searched the home and found a trail of *la*hd leading to the body. Anderson later confessed to the crimes.

Anderson has no violent criminal record, though records show he was arrested charged with theft of a laptop from his school.He is now charged with murder, abuse of a corpse and related crimes.Police have not released a motive for the killing.

After not being on the posteror mentioned at the launch, it was confirmed yesterday that dancehall artiste Mavado will not be making an appearance at this year's Sting.

Speaking with THE STAR, Mavado's manager Julian Jones-Griffith said, "He's definitely not doing it."

Sting's promoter Isaiah Laing also confirmed this.

"He won't be on the show. I spoke to his manager and he said he would get back to me and he didn't, so we went ahead with the show," he said.

 

WON'T BE CLASHING

Laing explained that any void left by Mavado will be filled by other artistes on the line-up.

"We have the likes of Sizzla right in the slot there. We don't think it will make a big difference. They (Mavado and Vybz Kartel) won't be clashing and them by themselves won't pull a thousand people," Laing told THE STAR.

The promoter said there would be other crowd pullers like the Beenie Man and Bounty Killer collaboration, Sizzla, I-Octane and Khago.

"The entire 13 warriors are gonna sell the show. No one person can't do it. This is Sting. This show is going to be huge 'cause we have so much to sell the show. Every angle you look at, it's going to be real excitement," he said, noting that Lady Saw would also be making an appearance after a seven-year absence.

Stressing performances this year, Laing said there would also be a bonus cash award for the artiste who gives the best performance.

"There's going to be a Sting award for the best performer, and it will be in the form of cash for both male and female," Laing said.

A 3.8-magnitude earthquake shook sections of Kingston and St Andrew on Sunday night -- the ninth such event felt in Jamaica since the start of the year.

The strength of the seismic activity was not enough to cause any structural damage, but geophysicist Dr Lyndon Brown said it was a reminder to Jamaicans be prepared for earthquakes.

 

"We are in a very active zone. Earthquakes are always happening. When we have these events, (it is a reminder that) we have to be very conscious of how we build. We can't just have everybody building how they want," Brown, a research fellow at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and head of the Earthquake Unit, told the Observer.

"I would advise that people just always be prepared for such events. Remember the "drop, cover, hold" rule that ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management) tries to impart," he added.

It was a sentiment echoed by Raymond Stewart, the seismic analyst at the UWI-based Earthquake Unit.

"The thing is that Jamaica is well faulted and so we can always expect earthquakes to occur. Earthquakes have no season, so it is important to be prepared. Who could have predicted we would have had an earthquake on Sunday?" he said.

The epicenter of Sunday's tremor was near Chestervale in St Andrew, which forms a part of the most active seismic zone on the island. With a reported depth of 10.8 kilometres, it was felt in, among other places, Liguanea, Beverley Hills and Washington Gardens.

"(There was) no damage," noted Brown. "We wouldn't expect any damage with this sort of event. If there is anything happening, we would expect things falling off shelves, but no structural damage. In the past, we have seen damage with events over five magnitude and to houses not built to any code."

Four of the other tremors felt on the island this year originated here -- one of them near Hope Bay, Portland on October 7; another near Silver Hill Gap on August 16; and a third near Chestervale, St Andrew on April 14. The precise location of the fourth, felt on August 29, was not determined.

The other events had their epicentre in Northern Haiti, Cayman, and off the southern coast of Cuba.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Be-prepared-for-earthquakes--warns-geophysicist_8216570#ixzz17RGAGwkA

A man accused of cutting his neighbour on the neck with a machete told the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday that he did it because the complainant was sprinkling some kind of powder beneath his window, which was making his baby sick.

Charged with unlawful wounding is Shamarley Jones. She pleaded guilty with explanation to the charge and told Resident Magistrate Lorna Shelly Williams that he has a set of twins that were born prematurely. He told the court that the complainant was sprinkling "things" around the yard and said the "sprinklings" were affecting the babies' health.

 

bleach

The complainant, however, told the court that the only thing he sprinkled was bleach and that was to get rid of the stench of urine.

The accused further told the court, however, that on the day in question, he saw the complainant peeping into his room. He said he became afraid, grabbed his machete and pushed it through the window.

The complainant when asked about the gravity of his injuries told the court that it was a "deep" cut, despite the fact that he received no stitches and did not spend any time in hospital. He told RM Shelly Williams that it would take $50,000 to compensate for his injury, as he was badly affected. He said "Wa day mi went to di studio your honour and mi couldn't even sing."

The RM inquired whether the medical certificate spoke to any damage to his vocal cords, but she was told there was no such indication. She then told the complainant to quote a realistic figure, to which he replied, "$20,000, your honour."

A relative of the accused paid $10,000 to the complainant and was instructed to return today to pay the rest. Jones was remanded in custody.

A group of about 28 persons who had intentions of travelling to Barbados found themselves at the Norman Manley International Airport Police Station instead of being on an aircraft after they claimed that a promise by a woman that they would get overseas employment did not materialise.

THE STAR understands that the disgruntled men and women were left somewhat stranded at the airport last Wednesday after they came to the realisation that no flight arrangements were made for them.

 

thousands of dollars

Allegations are that the complainants paid over thousands of dollars after they were told that they would get overseas employment.

According to a police source, who spoke to THE STAR yesterday, the group of mainly tilers are from the parishes of Hanover, Westmoreland and St James.

The accused woman, who is now in police custody, was arrested at a popular New Kingston travel agency later the same day after she fainted while trying to answer a volume of questions that were being posed by some of her clients. She was then rushed to the University Hospital of the West Indies where she was treated and released.

The Kingston Eastern police are investigating.

According to the police, the woman's identify is being withheld pending further investigations and she has not been charged.

It seems the two previous postponements led to a less than expected turn out at ZJ Liquid's birthday party 'Wet' that was held at Caymanas Golf Club, St Catherine, on Friday night.

The party was postponed twice in October due to heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Nicole and severe weather conditions the following week. This was disappointment to many people who were pumped up to celebrate his birthday with him. Sadly, on Friday night the venue, which also had a spacious pool area, was beautifully decorated but there were not enough patrons to enjoy the décor.

Liquid, however, got good support from members of the entertainment fraternity. Among those spotted at the event were Aidonia, Chino, Laden, Chi Ching Ching, Konshens, Delus, Munga, Keida, Chico, Don Corleone, Rolexx, Foota Hype, Biggy (from Razz and Biggy), Mr G, Timberlee, CéCile, Andrew and Wada *la*hd, Mafia, Crumbs from Liv Up Records, G-Whizz and Bay-C from T.O.K.

At 1:30 a.m. when patrons were slowly filing in, Illusion Sound from Ocho Rios entertained the patrons with many hip-hop and dancehall mixes. Afterwards, Dutty Dex from Miami got off to a lively start with a Denyque dubplate. This was followed by high energy songs like Usher's OMG, Ceelo's F You, Chris Brown's Deuces and Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj's Bottoms Up.

Later he got some occasional 'forwards' when he played dancehall songs like Vybz Kartel's Life Sweet and Assassin's Hand Inna Di Air.

Coppershot came later and seemed to be in a 'loving' mood, as they started off with Jah Cure's Unconditional Love, that was followed by a slew of other R&B and love songs. They gently glided into other songs like Stacious and Mavado's Come Into My Room and Vybz Kartel's Never Get A Gal. Eventually, the patrons got a bit more energetic with songs like Aidonia's Jack Hammer and Spice's Screechie.

DJ Wayne created some impact when he played Seanizzle's 'One Day' and 'Split Personality' rhythms, which featured ZJ Liquid. Chan Dizzy's Nuh Strange Face also got a good reception.

Supa Hype later played songs like Busy Signal's Picante and Mavado's Hold Mi. During this time, there were some couples who were locked into some intense gyrating. But by now, the LIME girls who occupied the centre of the dance floor for most of the night had already left. The selector brought the party to a close at about 4:30 a.m.

For the third consecutive year, singer I-Octane will take the opportunity to give back to his Portmore community with a fun day and concert sponsored by telecoms giant Digicel.

Dubbed 'Different Page' (from his hit single of the same name), the free event will have some of the biggest names in reggae and dancehall in performance, and also great giveaways from Digicel.

Different Page takes place on Friday, December 10, at the HQ Football Field in Daytona, Greater Portmore.

"This is the third edition, and every year it attracts more and more persons," a very pleased-looking I-Octane explained.

 

added element

He added that he was quite happy to give back to his community in this way, especially during the festive season. This year, the partnership with Digicel, with whom the singer is signed, will prove an added element which will ensure that the event is even bigger and better.

"It will be a day-and-night event that caters to the entire family. The kids can come out early and enjoy all the rides and bounce-a-bouts, and in the evening there will be performances from the artistes. Throughout the day, there will be prizes and surprises from Digicel," I-Octane stated.

Among the artistes slated to perform at Different Page are Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado, Bling Dawg, Lisa Hyper and others.

Harry Toddler is happy that he is in the company of good friends once more, as he says he is glad that he, Bounty Killer and Elephant Man have put their differences aside.

"Bounty seh right now him and Toddler nuh have nothing, wi a bredda. Ele even call mi wah day an wi a reason and him a seh mi cyaan a roll suh by miself and him a seh mi fi start 'trampooze' wid dem again. A unity wi a deal wid," said Toddler.

He is also looking forward to an upcoming tour in Africa, which he was invited to be a part of by Elephant Man.

"Me and Joseph (Bogdanovich) a talk bout it (African tour) and so far it sound like a really good idea. If it happens it would probably be the best tour mi eva guh pon. Some of my songs popular in that region of the world, suh I think it going to guh good," said Toddler.

"Right now mi just a focus on doing good, quality music. Nuh more low-grade music from the blonde don," he said.

Whether you want to call him Harry Toddler, Blonde Ras or Blonde Don, he's still the same person.

"Wi have whole heap a name. Everybody done know seh a Sunshine give mi the name Blonde Ras, but a Foota Hype now come and seh Blonde Don. A dah name deh wi a work wid, but a di same man weh unu know fi all these years," said Toddler.

Not having a major hit song for more than a year after his Don't Run In single, has not disheartened him, as Toddler is now working on finding his next hit.

He recently recorded Crazy Spanking on the new 'This Is It' rhythm, and the video for the single is also expected to be shot in coming weeks.

Other recently recorded songs include Good Up Good Up, on Truckback's 'Tun It Up' rhythm.

Vybz Kartel is promising to deliver an outstanding performance for this Sunday's Red Stripe Bold Concert (RSB) set for Knutsford Boulevard.

Kartel, easily one of Jamaica's standout modern-era entertainers, is among several acts including Cham, Lady Saw, Tarrus Riley and I-Octane who are down to perform at the concert that signals the start of Red Stripe Bold's Stand Out campaign.

The Stand Out Campaign, that begins with this Sunday's concert, is RSB's latest drive to become a standout brand. Red Stripe Bold is forging alliances with some of the top acts in the dancehall to create an experience for their consumers that will be enjoyable and exciting in many ways.

That is exactly what Kartel plans to do this Sunday. "I plan to give the fans a solid 45-minute set," he tells THE STAR. "No 'pull up dat, after a few seconds in each song, but rather a complete two-to-three-minute journey into each lyric which is seldom seen in dancehall performances. Just clean, tolerant lyrics, so fans can come out and bring the students to the see the teacher. Oh!"

 

corporate giants

Kartel, who has several achievements notched on his musical résumé, including leaving the Alliance to start his own 'Empire' and Adidjahiem Records. He is also part-owner of Unlimited Daggerin', a company that produced Street Vybz Rum and Daggerin' Condoms. The recording artiste says he embraces working with corporate giants Red Stripe Bold. "Kartel has no problem working with corporate," he says. "I consider myself a good, corporate citizen."

Some other outstanding local entertainment entities will also be on hand to help provide great entertainment. So fans can also look forward to music, courtesy of Liquid, Renaissance and Coppershot.

Sunday's concert is to be followed by the Absinthe and Renaissance Christmas parties and a New Year's Eve Party in Montego Bay.